


Convenience Store Sandwiches

by SamCyberCat



Series: Zombie Diet [7]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 21:37:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15033833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: Sousuke's mother has held on strong for the last year, but she knew that tonight was her last, which was why Sousuke and the others have gathered to hear her final words. And, in the week that follows her passing, Sousuke sets out to fulfil one last task on her behalf.





	Convenience Store Sandwiches

**Author's Note:**

> It took a bit longer than I'd have liked, but here is the latest fic in the Trail Mix series! Thank you once again for sticking with this series so long. I've got some details about the next Trail Mix fic, as well as some other Free! projects I've been working on and another surprise, in the end notes.

A cool, evening breeze rustled through the trees, occasionally some animals (probably deer) wandered nearby, just out of sight, and in the distance Sousuke could hear the river flowing – all reminders that the world stopped for no one, not that Sousuke was naïve enough to believe that it did. He'd been brought up to be more sensible than that.

It'd been the better part of a year since Kisumi and Haru had returned to the cottage with Chiyo. Since then, life had settled into something of a routine. They still hadn't heard from Hayato, which Sousuke wasn't sure whether to regard as a blessing or a curse. Hayato tended to bring trouble with him and having him go quiet for so long must've meant something big was going on behind the scenes. But at the same time, Hayato was their only hope of making progress against the cure.

The cure was one thing that they desperately needed to change.

Life would not stay the same forever and even though it seemed that the compound hadn't breached this area of Japan yet, the rate that Kisumi claimed they were rolling out the cure across the country made it obvious that they would eventually get here. In fact, it was suspicious that nothing had happened here in so long, but Sousuke didn't want to worry the others by saying so, even if he suspected that at least some of them felt the same way.

Though tonight would bring a change to their lives that had nothing to do with Hayato or the compound. Yet to Sousuke, it was just as tragic and unavoidable. Possibly even more so...

Because as much as he knew that life would not stay the same forever, sometimes life itself would not stay. And that was... that was the change they were facing tonight.

Sousuke sat outside on the porch, staring up at the stars without actually seeing them. It was more of an excuse to look like he was preoccupied so that no one would talk to him. Which had worked, up until he felt Makoto's strong hand rest on his shoulder.

“She wants you to be in there while we all talk to her,” Makoto said.

“I know she does...” Sousuke replied.

Then there was a long pause, signifying both that Makoto didn't want to push Sousuke and that Sousuke was reluctant to move. But Sousuke knew that he shouldn't put this off any longer. Staying out here was selfish when his mother only had such a short amount of time left.

Sousuke got to his feet and turned to Makoto, who didn't know what to say.

“I... I can't imagine how hard this must be for you...” Makoto mumbled.

Not wanting to hear any more for the moment, Sousuke pressed forward and hugged Makoto tightly. He wouldn't cry just yet, because he had to be strong for his mother and for himself, but just holding Makoto like this gave him strength. Makoto raised his arms to hug Sousuke back and the two of them stood there for almost a minute, until Sousuke was the one who pushed away.

“Can't put this off any longer,” Sousuke muttered, to which Makoto nodded in response.

The two of them walked back into the cottage. As soon as Sousuke opened the door, he was greeted by the sombre glances from the others, who were all sitting around different parts of the room. The only exception was, of course, Sousuke's mother, who was lying in the largest bed in one corner of the room. Since the cottage was composed of one single room (the extensions that Sousuke and Gou had been working on were still unfinished), it meant that everyone would hear what she would say to each of them. The only alternate was to have them all go outside and come through in turn, but that felt... too robotic for Sousuke. They were all a family and there were no secrets between them, at least not now that Hayato was out of the picture for a while.

...He instantly regretted that last bitter thought. Sousuke did have his share of problems with Hayato, but the kid deserved to be here as much as any of them. It didn't feel right that after his mother had lived with the Shigino brothers in the compound for all those years, Hayato wasn't able to be with her during her last hours. It was no one's fault, not Hayato's nor Sousuke's mother, but it still felt awful. Sousuke's eyes moved across to Kisumi and he knew that Kisumi felt the same way.

But right now it was up to Sousuke to make the first move. He walked across the room and pulled out the seat at the bottom of his mother's bed, taking to it with the determination to stay there until this was all over.

“Have you finished sulking...?” his mother croaked, looking down at him.

She didn't even have the energy to sit up any more...

“Never in my life,” Sousuke assured.

“Good. That's my boy...” said his mother, a weak laugh escaping her lips.

It wasn't too late if he could still hear her laugh. She'd never been one for laughing, but she was... she is good humoured in her own way. Everyone always liked her, even as far back as Sousuke could remember, and all of the people here cared about her so much.

Haru was the one who came over first, which didn't surprise Sousuke that much. He watched as Haru stood up from where he'd been sat besides Kisumi and walked over, taking to another seat, this one at the top of the bed, so he could talk easier with Sousuke's mother.

“You are very bold, Haru, you always have been,” his mother said, “I still remember... hah, when Sousuke would come home and complain about you. Back before all of this zombie business, when you were all in high school. I'm glad that you both made friends in the end, you keep him from getting too full of himself. You'll have to keep doing that from now on.”

Sousuke snorted loudly from the end of the bed, which only seemed to egg Haru on. Although Haru couldn't grin, the smugness about him was obvious.

“...Y-yoouuu caa-aan... c-count oon m-meee...” Haru rattled.

“I know I can. You're such a good boy, the son who always came back...” Sousuke's mother went on, “Everyone always worked so hard to keep you as part of their lives and I'm glad that... I was able to stay around long enough to see why that was. You're very special and not just because you still work after getting the virus. But I don't need to tell you that, you know how special you are. The only advice I can give you is don't let anyone stop you, but you already know that as well.”

“...W-wooould be l-lyiinggg... if I s-s-saaid I... did...n't...” said Haru, “...Dooon't... w-worry... I'll a-alwaays staa-aay the saame...”

“Thank goodness for that. You're a kindred spirit if ever there was one. Now be off with you, so the rest of this awkward lot can have their turn,” Sousuke's mother concluded.

To that, Haru just nodded and then made his way back to where he'd been sitting before. Honestly, Sousuke was a blunt person himself, but sometimes even he was shocked by the bluntness of how Haru and his mother could be with each other. This could be the last time the two of them ever spoke to one another and they were happy to end it on that. It was a level of Zen that Sousuke would probably never achieve.

Following from Haru's example, Kisumi got up as Haru walked back over and shakily made his way across to Sousuke's mother. This would be particularly difficult for Kisumi, who was probably the most openly emotional out of all of them.

“Noriko... I-I don't know what to say...” Kisumi mumbled.

“You do know what to say, Kisumi. You just don't know how to get started,” Sousuke's mother replied, “You've always had a lot to say, but let me take the lead this time – you are the heart of this group. When you were both little, I was so glad when Sousuke made friends with you. I can still see Sousuke and Rin now... charging off to get up to all kinds of mischief that they thought I wouldn't know about. And you'd let yourself get dragged along with them, but you were always the softest one. You were a good influence over those boys.”

Kisumi shook his head; “I wouldn't say that. I could be pretty awful as well, you know. I was just better at acting innocent and getting away with it than those two were.”

“Hah... maybe so, but I know you're a good one all the same,” assured Sousuke's mother, “All those years in the compound, you took good care of me and Hayato both. You've had a lot on your shoulders and you've truly learned to take responsibility since the outbreak.”

“Thanks, I'm glad you think so,” said Kisumi, “But it wasn't all me by a long shot. You took care of us during those years as well. I'm just sorry that Hayato couldn't be here right now...”

“Don't be sorry. That boy doesn't stop for anything and I wouldn't expect him to. I'm only sad that I won't get to see what he comes up with next, though I'm sure all of you will suffer it,” she replied, with a weak bat of her hand.

“I bet you're right about that...” Sousuke muttered.

Neither Kisumi nor his mother corrected him for once. On this night, everyone was more willing to accept the truth.

“We'll try to keep him in check when he does come back,” Kisumi cautiously replied.

“Good luck with that,” Sousuke's mother dismissed, “But before you go back over there, I've got one more thing to say. Don't worry about keeping yourself in check, Kisumi. Whatever you feel you need to do to achieve your own happiness, you should do it. There isn't much left for anyone in this world, so you should be allowed to take what you want. Even if what you want isn't conventional.”

Did his mother know something that Sousuke didn't? It wasn't as if Sousuke was the most sensitive person in the world, but he usually had a good grasp on that stuff when it came to Kisumi. Before he could stop himself, Sousuke glanced over to where Haru was sitting, with Chiyo sat on the floor not far from him and... he wondered. Even if it wasn't his place to wonder. Like his mother had said, whatever made Kisumi happy. It wasn't as if they were harming anyone, whatever was going on.

“Ahh... w-well, I'm an unconventional guy,” Kisumi awkwardly laughed, “But I'll try to do my best. Noriko, I... j-just thank you for everything. You've been a better mama to Hayato and myself than even our own mama was and I'm not ashamed to say that.” Kisumi got to his feet and reached over, giving her a warm hug; “But now... well, I could babble all night if you let me. Better let someone else have a turn.”

“See? I told you that you just needed to know where to start,” Sousuke's mother agreed, as Kisumi pulled back from the hug, “You've always been the chatty one and this lot... they need that. They need you.”

“Th-thank you...” Kisumi replied.

After that, it seemed that all of this became too much for him. Kisumi hurried back over to Haru, hugging him tightly and facing away from the others. Sousuke knew that he was quietly crying into Haru's shoulder. Chiyo got up and moved over to them as well, taking to Kisumi's other side.

The last thing Kisumi wanted right now was to be the centre of attention though. Which was why Gou took it upon herself to become the next distraction. She'd been sat at the table, cleaning their handguns to keep herself busy, but now she boldly walked over to Sousuke's mother and took her hand, smiling down at her.

“Mrs. Yamazaki, I can't believe you'd leave me as the last woman with this lot,” Gou said.

“Ah, but knowing that they have you looking out for them is one of the reasons I can pass away peacefully,” Sousuke's mother replied, “You're so strong, Gou. I never wanted to believe that you'd died. It made me so happy when we crossed paths again.”

“Me too. I'm just sorry that it took so long. But... here we are,” said Gou, “And I'm going to keep looking out for them from now on, even if I have to leave sometimes.”

“No one can blame you for that. Looking out for someone doesn't mean always being with them, after all,” Sousuke's mother dismissed, “You and Chiyo are the two people in our group who understand this Japan best. But Chiyo isn't as free to move now because of his condition, so when you need to go, everyone knows it's important. If anyone ever tries to stop you, I will smite them down from beyond the grave. And that goes for our family as well as the rest of the world.”

Gou laughed at that, but it was short-lived. No matter how much Sousuke's mother was trying to make them all feel better about the situation, the fact remained that she was dying. When Gou spoke again, her voice was struggling to hold back her sadness at the weight of that.

“I know you already said this to Kisumi, but I feel the same way, too,” she said, “You've always been so good, Mrs. Yamazaki. I know that my mom would've been glad to know you've been looking after us...”

“I'm sure I'll see her when I get there,” replied Sousuke's mother, “Our spirits will keep an eye on you all. And your father will be watching as well.”

“And Rin...” Gou whispered, though she could barely stand it.

Sousuke's mother squeezed Gou's hand tighter; “Matsuokas are all very strong. They'll all be so proud of you and we're all proud of you as well, Gou.”

“Thank you...” sniffed Gou, “Thank you so much.”

The two of them sat together for a while longer, with Gou quietly crying to herself as she held Sousuke's mother's hand. But eventually, she shook her head. Then she stood up, letting go of the hand at last.

“Goodbye and good luck, Gou Matsuoka,” Sousuke's mother said.

A final smile and a nod, then Gou retreated back to the table. There were only two people to go, not counting Sousuke himself. Chiyo and Makoto. Though perhaps that wasn't fair, since Chiyo had hardly known Sousuke's mother for very long. Even so, Makoto sat unwavering on his own at one side of the room and Sousuke didn't understand why he was being so stubborn.

In light of Makoto not moving, Chiyo got up from where he'd been crouched by Kisumi's side and lurched across. The guy was huge, even Sousuke thought that, and combined with the zombie virus, he looked intimidating. But Sousuke's mother had never been scared of him for even a moment. It took more than a super zombie to scare her.

“...C-c-caan't... taaal-lk... m-mucchh...” said Chiyo, almost apologetically. His speech was coming back to him, but it was taking longer than it did with Haru.

“That's all right, Kisumi generally does enough talking for all three of you,” said Sousuke's mother, “...At least that's what I might say, but that would be unfair. Silence not powerful when you don't choose it. You don't choose your silence and that's what makes it feel all the more cruel. If you could talk more, like you were before you were infected, then I know that you would. Perhaps we didn't know each other well, but you seemed like a good person who valued his voice. It's terrible that you now can't use it so freely.”

Chiyo nodded. Sousuke could tell that his mother had put across everything that Chiyo had wanted to say, but couldn't.

“Yet a life is a worse thing to have ripped away from you. And I'm not trying to gain your pity because I'm lying here dying,” Sousuke's mother went on, “Your speech will probably come back to you more and more with time, but your life wouldn't have done. As hard as it must be to be in yours and Haru's situations, you're both able to be here for however long this lasts and that's something all of us are thankful for. So keep using this second chance. Push it as far as you can and don't lament what you've lost too much.”

“Th-thaaank... y-yooouuu...” Chiyo said. That was all he needed to say.

Before Chiyo had even gotten up from the seat, Makoto was standing. It surprised Sousuke in light of Makoto's reluctance before, but he didn't question it. Instead he just watched as Chiyo headed from the seat back over to Kisumi and then Makoto took Chiyo's place where he had been sitting.

“I suspected you'd be last,” said Sousuke's mother.

“Well, Sousuke is last,” Makoto replied. He gave a quick glance towards Sousuke, before looking back at his mother.

“Yes, but that's just how it must be,” Sousuke's mother dismissed, “The Yamazaki family has always been traditional and it'll take more than a zombie apocalypse to change that. Although to counter our stubbornness, it's good to see that Sousuke found someone who cares about him as much as you do. He needs that.”

“Oh, w-well... I just try my best,” said Makoto.

“You do more than that,” assured Sousuke's mother, “I know that my son over there will be embarrassed to hear me talking like this, but if it's the last time, then it has to be said – he needs you as much as he loves you, which is so very much. I'd like to say that the relationship you two share reminds me of that with my own husband, but that would be untrue. Regardless, I'm glad that the two of you found love with each other.”

Sousuke's ears pricked up at that. It had been a long time since his father had been mentioned at all. When they'd found him as a zombie at the store, they had little choice but to accept what had happened and move on. But even so, he was always surprised that his mother never seemed to mourn him more, at least not out loud. Perhaps when it's his turn to talk with her, he should ask about that. After all, as his mother kept saying, tonight would be his last chance.

“I've always been so glad that you approve of us,” said Makoto, snapping Sousuke out of his thoughts, “Honestly, I hadn't given much thought to relationships before that and... well, we didn't exactly plan for what happened. Falling in love with Sousuke... even though the circumstances behind it were far from usual, I'm lucky that you were so supportive of us.”

“Honestly, I noticed that son of mine watching you before he noticed himself,” chuckled Sousuke's mother, much to Sousuke's dismay, “And I knew it was only a matter of time before he'd bumble through expressing his feelings to you. I always thought Sousuke would do best with someone who can read him, but you don't just do that – you encourage him to express himself as well. The best kinds of relationships are the ones were you can see both parties make each other better people and that's definitely true of you two. Everyone can see it.”

There was a general murmur of agreement around the room, which brought Sousuke's attention back to the fact that they had an audience.

“Maybe you two can move on from talking about this,” Sousuke grumbled, “There's a lot more to say...”

“Too much to cover in one night,” his mother added, “But thankfully, I didn't have to. I've had many good years with all of you. Some for longer than others, but each of you valued just as much. You're all survivors and I know that you're going to keep on being that for a long time after I've gone.”

“You're a survivor as well, Mother,” Makoto said, reaching out to take her hand.

“Only because you have to be as tough as nails to get through this,” she replied, “But even so... there are some things that I can't be strong for. As much as I hate to ask, when I talk with Sousuke... could the rest of you wait outside?”

“Are you sure?”

It was Sousuke who spoke up, to the surprise of even himself. The others had all been allowed to listen to everything that his mother had to say to them, there had been no secrets there, so it felt wrong that they wouldn't hear the last part as well.

“It's what I want,” said his mother, her mind made up.

“That's fine with me,” Makoto replied. He raised himself out of the seat as a show of good will; “We all know how much you love us and if you need this, then this is what you should have. Just... c-call us back in when you're ready.”

“I will,” Sousuke's mother promised.

With that, Sousuke watched helplessly as the rest of his family filed out of the cottage. Makoto was the last, giving Sousuke a sympathetic look before he closed the door behind him. After that, Sousuke listened to the sounds of their footsteps disappearing off the porch as they walked some distance away.

He got up from where he'd been sat at the end of the bed and walked to the top of it, where his mother was waiting. She looked so pale and gaunt this close. They all knew that she wouldn't make it through the night this time, she even knew that herself. Perhaps it was harder that she did...

“You've held on so long...” Sousuke mumbled, as he took her hand, “I knew you were ill ever since we left the compound. When we travelled, you were struggling a-and yet you insisted on coming along...”

“And through that, I got one more year with my family,” his mother reasoned, “If I'd stayed in the compound, then I'd never have found out that Gou was alive, I'd never have got to see what Japan was truly like now and I'd never have got to come home with you all.”

“You... don't think of Sano as home at all now, do you?” Sousuke asked, “This is home to you.”

When he thought about it, his mother hadn't even lived in this cottage nearly as long as Sano, where the Yamazaki family had always been since before Sousuke was born. By comparison, his mother had lived in this cottage for just less than a year after the infection broke out, before being found and taken to the compound. And then after they escaped the compound, she'd lived here for another year. That was roughly two years here, both of them massively spaced apart, and yet this was the place she thought of as home.

“Sousuke, you don't need me to tell you that answer,” she said, “But don't feel as if I've given up on Sano completely. If the outbreak hadn't happened, if life had stayed as it was, then I would've stayed at the store for the rest of my days. As it happened, the world changed too quickly and I would've been foolish to hold onto something that was gone...”

“Do you mean Sano or Father?” said Sousuke, “If this is our last chance, then... please tell me the truth about that.”

He could tell that the question troubled her greatly. His mother shifted where she lay, staring up at him with eyes that were sternly deciding if he was ready. In the end, she decided that he'd have to be. This was his last chance to be ready.

“Your father and I... we were good friends,” his mother started, “The store we owned had been passed down his family for generations. It was expected of him to take it over from his own father, but he resented it. He never wanted the store. By contrast, I was very happy there. It was a good, stable source of income in a neighbourhood I was familiar with.”

When Sousuke looked back, he realised that all of his memories of the store showed his mother sitting behind the counter, newspaper held in her hands, pretending that she hadn't been smoking right before he'd come through the door. They were good memories. But his father... he was always somewhere else – out in the garden, pottering about the house, running errands through town. He was anywhere other than the store itself most of the time.

“He wanted to travel, but it was never his lot in life,” said Sousuke's mother, “Even so, he was grateful for the life he had, I know that much. We were both very grateful when we were blessed with you, even though we were getting on in years when that happened.”

“It was never a problem,” Sousuke insisted. His parents were always that bit older than most of his friends' parents, but he'd never seen that as an issue. They loved and cared for him the same as any other parents cared for their kids.

“I don't want you to think that you held us back, because that was never the case. What we wanted most was to see you grow and flourish into a healthy young man and you have done,” assured his mother.

“And then what...?” Sousuke pressed. He sensed there was more to the explanation than just that.

“Then once you'd gone out into the world and we could be sure you were doing well for yourself, we would have separated,” she said, her words calm, despite the context, “He would've seen more of the world, like he always wanted, and I would've ran the shop, like I always wanted. You would always have somewhere to come back to if you needed it.”

Sousuke stared at her for a few moments as he processed what she had just said.

“So you... would've divorced?” he checked, “You were just waiting until I'd left home?”

“We would have separated,” his mother corrected, “We cared about each other greatly and that's why we each wanted what was best for the other. It never came to pass, but those were our plans.”

“I'm not sure how to feel about that...” Sousuke admitted.

“If you can't accept it, then I'll understand, but you deserved to know while I have the chance to tell you. Even if I should've told you a lot sooner,” she said.

Sousuke sighed; “I won't have you die thinking that I didn't accept your choices, Mother. But it's just... now that I know what you both wanted, I feel worse that he's the one rotting back at the store, while you're out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“This is my home now,” his mother repeated.

“I know, but... what if he was here as well?” said Sousuke, “Even if he couldn't leave the store while he was alive, if he got to be here with you, would that have made him happy?”

“The store was an unfortunate final resting place for him, but there's nothing that can be done about it now. He would rather know that we all made it out of Sano safely,” his mother said.

“Yeah, but Sano isn't that dangerous now,” Sousuke said, “...All right, it's still dangerous, but people are better prepared to handle zombies now than they were back then. Gou and Chiyo were both living around that area right up until we found them.”

“It's still a risk,” his mother insisted.

“So was Kisumi and Haru travelling half way across Japan on a hunch, but they did that. Heck, we travelled all the way to Tokyo just to get the cure into... well, what we hoped would be the right hands at the time,” argued Sousuke.

“In both of those cases, it was to help people who are still around to be helped,” said his mother, “With this, the only ones benefiting would be mine and your father's memory. It's not worth it.”

“Let me decide if it's worth it!” Sousuke snapped. Then when his mother flinched, he withdrew into himself; “...I'm sorry. But it means something to me and I'll be alive, even if you aren't... We might not be able to stay at this cottage forever after you pass on, but knowing you're both resting here together would mean a lot to me.”

“Then your mind is made up and I cannot change it,” said his mother, “All that I ask is that you don't let your stubborn pride convince you to go alone. Take some of the others with you and be safe.”

“I promise I will,” he vowed.

“Good. Knowing that, I can rest easy,” said his mother, “You are a good, strong son. I can't say enough times that I've been proud of you every day. And I'm glad that you're wise enough to seek out help when you need it, even if you have the Yamazaki stubborn streak.” With that, she lifted up a shaky hand and placed it on top of Sousuke's. His mother didn't often cry, but she was crying now; “...I love you, son.”

“A-and I love you, too, Mother... It's been the best. You're the best anyone could ask for,” he replied, his own voice cracked as the tears began to fall.

“...No, Sousuke... You're the best that anyone could ask for.”

***

Once Sousuke had finished talking with his mother, the others came back into the cottage and they'd all sat around her bed into the early hours of the morning. When Sousuke looked back on it, his mother's final few hours were a blur to him. It was those last words she'd said to him when they were on their own that stuck in his mind more than anything. Perhaps that was for the best...

They buried her near the cottage when the light of the next day came, a makeshift stone mound marking her grave. Sousuke carved her name into it – Noriko Yamazaki. Yet he didn't feel that it would be enough. She should not be buried here without his father by her side, he'd made up his mind about that.

Despite this, it was more than a week after her passing before Sousuke finally set out for Sano. He'd made his intentions clear to the others from the start and each of them had offered to come with him, but in the end the only two joining him on the journey were Makoto and Gou. As a group, they'd decided that it was too much of a risk for Haru and Chiyo to travel too far when they weren't sure where the cure had come into effect. If anything, the others going out could mean they'd get a better idea on that and be able to report their findings once they returned. So with the two zombies staying, Kisumi also stayed with them to keep an eye on them – on the off-chance that other people stumbled across the cottage, Kisumi could stay as a show that it was occupied, while the zombies hid unless Kisumi needed to be protected.

With the promise that they wouldn't be long, Sousuke, Makoto and Gou set out, weapons in hand and a wooden sled being pulled behind them, which they intended to use to carry back the body of Sousuke's father. Gou also had a large pack with her, filled with supplies.

“There's a chance I might stick around once we get to Sano,” Gou explained, “It's been more than a year since we've been back that way and I want to know what's been happening. I'll probably check in on my old base out in the woods as well, just to see if there's anything worth salvaging still left. Same for the barn that Chiyo and Hibiki were living in.”

“That would be a good idea, especially if we do need to run from the cottage at any point,” Sousuke agreed, “Better than travelling blind.”

“Just don't spend too long away,” Makoto added, “I'll only worry about you the whole time you're gone.”

Gou laughed; “That's sweet, but I promise I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. Do you think that you'll be able to bring the body back between the two of you?”

“We can manage,” said Sousuke. He was determined.

***

After all the travelling they'd done in the past, the journey back to Sano didn't to take nearly as long as it seemed to when they were first fleeing to the mountains at the beginning of the outbreak. They were all older and better prepared now. They didn't even run into much trouble on the roads, but that in itself caused concern. When they got to the outskirts of the town, Makoto couldn't go without commenting on it any longer.

“The streets are too quiet,” he said, “Remember that time when we went to Samezuka? The place was crawling with compound guards and that was only a year ago. Where are they all now?”

“Maybe they don't care about Sano as much?” Sousuke offered, but a shake from Gou's head told him that he was wrong.

“The compound guys used to come through here a lot,” she said, “They had a lab in Iwatobi, remember? We should've seen some of them by now. There's no way we could get this lucky.”

With Gou's daunting assessment in mind, the three of them made their way through the vacant town, with only the odd zombie in the distance lurking around. But even that raised questions – if there were still zombies here, then that meant the cure hadn't been brought into effect. If Sano truly was on the compound's trade route, then this would've been one of the earlier places where they should've set up the cure.

But as they rounded the corner onto the street where the Yamazaki store waited, a partial explanation for the lack of guards greeted them. A compound vehicle was overturned and it looked as if it had been raided long ago. The side of the van was spray-painted with a warning for compound dogs to keep away.

“Looks like the raiders got bold...” Sousuke commented, as they approached it.

“Bolder than most of the ones I remember being around here were,” said Gou, “It was usually just Chiyo and me who'd sometimes go after compound vehicles. Most of the others were just scavengers.”

“So what do you think it means?” asked Makoto.

“New raiders would be my guess. And a lot of them, to scare off the compound so thoroughly,” Gou replied, “Maybe that's why we haven't seen any signs of the cure back at the cottage. It's worth looking into.”

“If there's more of them, then that's too dangerous,” argued Makoto, “You can't stay here on your own.”

But Gou just rolled her eyes, her expression showing a determination that Sousuke knew she wouldn't be swayed from.

“Raiders aren't all bad, I'm a raider and I had friends here,” she assured him, “Honestly, I'll probably be safer around other raiders than I would've been around the compound guards anyway. I'll just try to find some people I knew and ask questions, but I promise that I won't be too long. A couple of weeks at most and then, if I'm not back, you can come looking.”

“If you're sure...” Makoto mumbled. It was obvious that he felt uneasy about that plan, but he couldn't argue against it.

“Let's just focus on the store for now,” said Sousuke, “Then we figure this all out once we've got my father's body.”

It was a strange sentence to have to say and it brought Sousuke's mind back to the task at hand. The compound and the raiders would both be problems that would exist for another day, but right now Sousuke had family matters to deal with.

As they reached the store, they saw that the metal shutters Sousuke had closed behind them when they'd first fled had long since been prised open. The store had been broken into, many times from the looks of it, and any supplies left on the shelves had been taken, probably not long after the infection had first broke out.

“It's ransacked...” Sousuke muttered.

There was an uncomfortable pause. Then Gou spoke up.

“I hate to say it... but that was us,” she admitted, “In the beginning, shops were the best places to raid if you wanted to stay alive. We'd been hanging around Sano for a while and I was sure that you weren't there or else you would've let us in... So Chiyo got the shutters open with a crowbar and we took what we needed. Then I guess after we left, other people did as well.” She stopped here, looking down; “I looked around the house for you... It gave me a bit of hope when I didn't find your bodies, but we saw your dad out in the garden and... well, we at least knew he didn't make it.”

Sousuke put a hand on Gou's shoulder, causing her to look up at him. He didn't smile, but he hoped that the gesture reassured her all the same.

“I feel better knowing that the store helped you. That was what it was there for,” he said, “Mother would be glad to know that as well.”

“Let's hope so...” Gou agreed.

The three of them pressed on into the store and just like the outside had suggested, there was nothing left worth taking. Any food had long since disappeared off the shelves or else had gone too rotten to be worth touching. Sousuke imagined that if he searched the house attached to the store, he'd find the same story. So he ignored it all and pressed on into the back garden.

It was strange to be out in the garden after so many years... Sousuke could still remember when he was a child and Rin would come over to play on the tire-swing with him. Then in years to follow, Kisumi would come over to ask Sousuke for help fixing Hayato's bike. There were so many good childhood memories of Sousuke being out in this garden.

...Shame that the whole effect was ruined by the body of his father lying out in the open, axe marks through his head where Sousuke had taken him out. The blood had long since dried and it looked as if the only thing that had stopped his father's body from being picked clean by zombies was the fact that the fence around the garden was high enough to deter them. It hadn't deterred some animals, by the looks of it, but none had been persistent enough to reduce him to a skeleton. It was still very much a body that greeted them.

Makoto made a gagging sound and Sousuke's arm shot out to steady him. He turned away from the body to look at Makoto instead.

“Are you going to be okay bringing him back to the cottage?” Sousuke asked, “If you think it's a bit much, then I'll understand.”

“I'll... I'll manage,” said Makoto, though his face was very pale, “He's y-your dad, so I should be asking you that...”

“It's fine,” Sousuke said quickly, to assure himself as well as Makoto, “I have to do this.”

“Then I'll help you,” said Makoto, “Let's load him onto the sled...”

None of them enjoyed doing it, but between the three of them they lifted the body of Sousuke's father onto the sled and tied it down securely. He was so brittle now that there were some unfortunate cracking noises as they moved him, but they had to carry on. Makoto flinched at each crack, but then it was done.

“I feel so... wrong...” Makoto mumbled, looking at his hands, “But this is right. This is the right thing to do.”

“We can wash when we get to a river,” said Sousuke, as if that would help. They'd still be carrying a body all the way back to the mountains either way, but somehow he knew that cleaning his hands would make Makoto feel more human again.

“For now, let's just go,” Gou said, “I'll walk with you both to the edge of town and then head off my own way.”

“I know I can't talk you out of it...” said Makoto, who looked like he didn't have any fight left in him at this point regardless.

So sled dragging behind them, they left the store. Having a body with them gave a higher risk of attracting zombie attention, but that was what the weapons were for. Besides, the blood was so old that perhaps his father's body wouldn't attract as much attention as living targets like they would anyway.

As they walked through the town, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. And now that they were looking out for it, they could see more evidence of the compound guards being chased away, as well as more spray-paint warnings, telling the compound not to come back.

Before they reached the edge of town, Gou broke away from their group and headed off towards an old telephone pole at the side of the road.

“Where are you going?” Sousuke hissed.

“I saw something,” Gou called back. As they watched, she ripped a poster off the side of the telephone pole and brought it back over; “This looks recent.”

“Someone's having a yard sale?” Sousuke snorted.

Even so, he looked at the poster along with Makoto and Gou. It was a photocopy, probably one of many, but what it contained was more than enough to attract their interest. In the centre was a photo of one of the easily recognisable compound vehicles, with a cross drawn through it. The text read:

**_'NO MORE COMPOUND! NO MORE CURES!_ **

_The compound is trying to steal Japan from us when we're the ones who've worked so hard to make our lives here! We will not stand for it! We will not let them destroy us! Divided, the raiders are weak, but together we can fight. If you value your livelihoods, come seek us out and help us in our quest to stop the compound from stealing our Japan away._

_There are whispers among the raiders. Follow them and you'll know where to find us.'_

An awkward silence fell upon the three of them as they all finished reading the text at different paces. Then Sousuke cleared his throat and spoke up.

“It sounds like some crazy propaganda,” he said, “Like some manic preacher. Might just be one person trying to start shit.”

“Would explain why the compound seem to have been taken out around here though,” Gou said.

“Now I'm even less sure about leaving you on your own,” Makoto told her.

Gou shook her head; “This is all the more reason why I have to go check it out. Whatever's going on, if they've turned Sano upside down, then it's happening close enough to us that we should be worried. If they're dangerous, I don't want them coming after you in the mountains.”

“But you're just one person, Gou,” Makoto pleaded.

“Don't you remember what Mrs. Yamazaki said to me that night? Please don't try to stop me,” Gou insisted.

“Of course I remember, but she didn't mean throwing yourself into the line of danger,” said Makoto.

“Then what do you suggest?” Gou asked.

“That you come home with us first and then we-”

But Makoto was cut off by the sound of engines and a lot of them. Something was approaching. Sousuke and Makoto grabbed tight hold of the rope attached to the sled and pulled it into the side of the road, but Gou ran in the opposite direction. Sousuke had a feeling she'd do that.

“Gou, please...!” Makoto called across.

But her mind had been made up. She was going to find out what the deal was with this potential raider cult and although Sousuke hated to admit it, having the two of them come with her while they were still carrying his father's body would slow her down. There wasn't time to reason with Gou and tell her that they could leave the body at the store for another time.

Sousuke put a firm hand on Makoto's shoulder and guided him out of sight behind one of the buildings. Before disappearing from view, he gave Gou a wave to let her knows that everything was all right and she returned the gesture.

Then with that, she was gone. As Sousuke and Makoto cautiously made their way out of Sano, they could hear vehicles that probably belonged to raiders dominating the streets. It didn't bode well.

***

Once they were out in the mountains again, the first thing the two of them did was find a river so they could wash their hands. Sousuke watched Makoto as they did and he could see some of the life return to Makoto's eyes, even if he was still torn up.

“We should've gone after her...” Makoto said, “I won't lose anyone else. Especially not so soon after Mother.”

“Gou's too tough to die, we all know that,” said Sousuke.

“You say that, but she's on her own,” Makoto replied.

“And I meant what I said before – no matter what, if she's not back in a week or two, we'll go after her,” said Sousuke.

“That feels too long to wait. What if something happens before then?” asked Makoto.

“I can't answer that, you know I can't. We have to trust Gou, Makoto. That's the most important thing,” Sousuke said, rubbing Makoto's back, despite his hand still being wet from washing it in the river.

“You're right...” sighed Makoto.

His words felt more like a resignation of defeat than agreeing with what Sousuke was saying and that was hard to bear. But Sousuke told himself that this outcome was for the best, at least for now. They could talk to the others when they got back and if everyone felt differently, then Sousuke himself would set out to go look for Gou right away.

***

The other three hadn't been sat idle while Sousuke, Makoto and Gou were gone. They'd dug another grave right next to Sousuke's mother's and they'd even carved his name into another stone marker – Woruta Yamazaki. Kisumi had also decorated both graves with flowers. It was a fitting tribute.

They all worked as quickly, yet respectfully as they could to lower Sousuke's father's body into the waiting grave. As they did this, Sousuke explained the situation with Gou and the poster she'd found. It didn't sit easy with any of them. In some way, perhaps it was good to have a distraction from what they were actually doing. Sousuke was just annoyed that this distraction happened to be Gou's safety.

By the time the body was covered and they stood back to look over the two graves, Sousuke nodded in satisfaction.

“From what my mother said, I think this is what they would've wanted,” Sousuke announced.

“I'm glad that they get to be together now, even if it took so long,” Kisumi whispered.

Sousuke nodded. But when he turned to look back at Kisumi, his eyes first fell upon Makoto and he could tell that Makoto was still too worried about Gou to focus on much else. It was wrong to put this off any longer.

“Look, I know we just got back, but I think I should head out again,” Sousuke said, “Makoto, you won't settle if you don't come with me, so you can come as well, but I'm not sure that the rest of you should. For the same reasons as before.”

“We could come with you this time though,” Kisumi offered, “The cottage is our home, but now that we know it isn't safe around Sano, it's better that we stick together as much as possible instead of splitting up.”

“Kisumi's got a point there,” Makoto agreed, “What do you think, Haru? ...Haru?”

Both of the zombies had been quiet since they'd finished the grave, but that was nothing unusual. It wasn't until Haru didn't respond that they realised there was any reason to be alarmed. Sousuke's eyes darted over to them and he saw Chiyo supporting Haru, helping him to stand up while Haru's body shook all over. Both Haru and Chiyo's breaths were heavy and before Chiyo even spoke, Sousuke just knew what was happening to them.

“...Th-the... c-c-cuuurree-ee...”

It was here.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading Trail Mix. The subject matter of this particular fic was quite heavy, but I hope that this has been a fitting tribute to Noriko's character. She might be gone, but she won't be forgotten by her family of survivors.
> 
> Before I move on to talk about what's coming next though, I've got something amazing to share with you all! Recently, I commissioned the lovely BrickerBeetle to draw Makoto and Chiyo based on this series and the finished piece is brilliant:
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheScruffyCat/status/1009790759372034048
> 
> Tumblr: http://samcybercat.tumblr.com/post/175107414982/the-wonderfully-skilled-and-all-around-great 
> 
> Look at how great they both look! I'm so glad to be able to share this with you all, especially so you can see what Chiyo looked like before he became a zombie. Also, I'm sure most of you reading this are already familiar with Bricker's work, but if you're not, then I'd highly recommend checking it out! Bricker is a star in the SouMako fandom and general Free! multishipping fandom, too.
> 
> Moving on to talk about the next Trail Mix title though, I'm pleased to be able to say that the next fic will be called Balanced Lunch and will be focused on Gou as the main character. In this fic, as Gou travels to find out what's going on with the raiders, she reflects on her life from the beginning of the outbreak until now. This will be a multi-chaptered fic, with each chapter giving us a glimpse into parts of Gou's life, showing the last time she saw Rin, how she met Chiyo and Hibiki, and so on. I'm looking forward to giving Gou a chance to shine.
> 
> On top of that, I have a couple of other upcoming Free! projects that I want to mention, just in case they might be of interest to some of you as well. Both of them are MakoHaru this time. 
> 
> The first one is for the upcoming MakoHaru Charity Zine, It's Meaningless Without You. I'm honoured to be able to say that I was chosen to write a short story for this zine, along with so many other brilliant people, and that the wonderful Starshi will be drawing a MakoHaru piece to accompany my fic. All money raised from the zine will be going towards the Marine Conservation Institute. At the moment, the mods are estimating that pre-orders for the zine will open at the end of July, so if you're interested in supporting this project, keep an eye out around then. You can find more information on their tumblr:
> 
> https://makoharu-zine.tumblr.com/
> 
> The next fic I'm working on is also MakoHaru, but this time it's for the MakoHaru Summer Gift Exchange 2018. I can't talk too much about this one yet, since it works like a secret santa, but the due date for that fic is 3rd July 2018. So keep an eye out around then, since that'll be when I'm posting the fic I've written for that.
> 
> ...And that's everything I've got to say! It's been slow going lately, but I'm glad to have so many good things to share with you all. Take care and see you next fic.


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